


let every new year find you better

by casey_sms (shinygreenwords), shinygreenwords



Category: In the Flesh (TV), Skins (UK)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Feelings, In the Flesh BBC Prompt Fest, Love, M/M, New Year's Fluff, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 15:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3073658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinygreenwords/pseuds/casey_sms, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinygreenwords/pseuds/shinygreenwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>4 Happy New Year kisses with established couples + 1 surprise kiss!</p>
            </blockquote>





	let every new year find you better

**Author's Note:**

  * For [accrues](https://archiveofourown.org/users/accrues/gifts).



> For [this prompt](http://inthefleshbbc.livejournal.com/789.html?thread=6933#t6933) at the [inthefleshbbc](http://inthefleshbbc.livejournal.com) [Prompt Fest](http://inthefleshbbc.livejournal.com/789.html) requesting a New Year's Kiss. I had a few I wanted to do, so here it is!
> 
> Title inspired by this New Year quote: "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."- **Benjamin Franklin**
> 
> For my love, Bella <3
> 
>  **Warning:** brief, canon-typical references to suicide (Kieren's).

**1\. Steve Walker/Sue Walker**

 

“I know Kieren’s different now but it feels kind of like the same, isn’t it?” Steve says, handing Sue a beer.

“I’m glad he’s back with us,” Sue agrees, taking the beer and clinking it with Steve’s. “With all of us.”

“What a year, eh?” Steve says, sitting on the couch. He puts his arm around Sue.

Sue leans in to Steve, grateful that even though a lot of things have changed – they’re still together. With both their kids. “Yes, what a year.” Sue puts her drink down. “Steve?”

“Yes, love.”

“I’m so glad I have you. Happy New Year,” she says as she leans in to kiss him. Steve’s arm squeezes around her shoulder and she knows what he wants to say even though he struggles with words sometimes.

****  
***  
**  
*

**2\. Duncan Lancaster/Patty Lancaster**

 

It’s hard to keep hoping year after year. Their daughter has been missing for almost half a decade now but how can you stop hoping?

With Kieren back and his visit, this year has given them renewed hope and it’s harder than ever to see everyone else with their families. Every day they brace themselves and tell themselves it’ll get better.

It’s a terrible thing to think but at least he has Patty. She wanted to stay up, hoping that maybe tonight but lunch with the relatives had been a bit too much for her.

Duncan pulls the blanket up to cover her shoulders and kisses her on the forehead. “Happy New Year’s, Patty.”

This year, he resolves to make things better for the community. For when Lisa comes back.  

***  
**  
*

**3\. Simon Munroe/Kieren Walker**  


Kieren looks out of the window at the bungalow, at the fireworks in the distance. “You know, I used to climb up on a tree near my friend’s - Rick’s place. We’d look at the tiny bits of fireworks we could catch in the distance and tell ourselves we’d get out of here. I would wish that next year, I could be somewhere else where the fireworks would be bigger and brighter.” He puts his hand on the glass and he swears he can almost feel the cold seeping through his fingertips. With Simon, he doesn’t feel like he has to keep it all inside. They share all the things that matter. It’s still new to Kieren and it makes him keep hoping that things will change and get better – even in Roarton. “Next year, I’d promise myself, year after year.”

Simon comes up behind Kieren and wraps his arms around him. “What about now?” he asks, knowing the answer to the question but asking anyway because he wants to hear it.

Kieren turns in the embrace, putting the fireworks behind him. “Now, I have you.” Kieren smiles and cups Simon’s face in his hands. “This is where I want to be,” he says, capturing Simon’s lips in his.  

**  
*

 **4\. Amy Dyer** **/Philip Wilson**  


“Philip, I know we called your mum with an update but you have to understand that while we’ve been able to revive the patient’s brain activity, she isn’t really alive. It’s one of the unfortunate side-effects of reanimation. It’s still an experimental procedure, you see-”

“I want to see her,” Philip cuts in. “I still love Amy. I have to tell her I love her.”

“She isn’t going to be able to see you, dear,” the nurse says condescendingly, looking at Philip with pity. “This isn’t the Amy you knew. Not even as a PDS sufferer. She’s in a…different place now.”

“Amy has always been different,” Philip says stubbornly. “Please let me see her,” he says in his most confident ‘I-understand-your-Concerns-and-I-am-working-on-resolving-these-Issues’ tone.

“Alright, dear.” The nurse pats Philip’s hand. “I suppose it couldn’t do any harm. She’s in room 259.”

His shoes echo down the long corridor. The door’s open already so he walks right in and Amy’s lying there, hooked up to monitors. They’re beeping softly. It’s not that different from a hospital.

Philip pulls a chair up to the bed, sitting himself beside her. Amy’s long hair is streaming down one side of the pillow, like someone had been combing it.

“Hey Amy,” Philip says.

Amy’s fingers are cold but he laces her fingers in his and it fits just right. Philip brings her hand to his lips. “Happy New Year,” he murmurs and settles in, just wanting to be with Amy.

In the morning, someone is shaking his shoulder.

“Rise and shine, Philip! It’s time to get up, lazy!” It’s the sing-song of a familiar voice.  

Philip smiles and opens his eyes.

*

*

*

**\+ 1. Tony Stonem/Jem Walker**

 

Jem is sitting on the steps of the house, drinking from the bottle. The sound of the cider sloshing in the plastic is a familiar and comforting against the dull throb of the party music. The bottle is almost empty and she’s feeling beyond buzzed. She knows that it’s going to take more than one or two sessions but she still doesn’t feel better. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the doctor said. That’s what they said too after Kieren had killed himself. Jem puts the bottle down next to her and looks up at the bright moonlight.  

“Hey,” a male voice calls out from behind her. “Mind if I join you?”

“It’s not my party. You can do what you like,” Jem says with a shrug, taking another swig of her drink.

“I’m Tony,” the boy says, stretching out his long legs next to her. He’s got high cheekbones and blue eyes. He adjusts his fringe so it covers the black stitching sloping towards his brow that even the skilful application of cover-up can’t conceal.

“Jem,” Jem holds out her hand. He takes it, surprised that she’s initiated contact.

“My hand’s cold,” he warns.

“It’s okay, my brother has PDS and he’s cool,” Jem replies, shaking the boy's hand with ease. “What brings you to Roarton?”

Tony smiles back. “I’ve got a pretty cool little sister myself. She’s knows Karen from some other party? It’s New Year so a party is a good place to be.”

Jem reads between the lines, knowing that Tony is there so that his sister can get home safely. “I don’t know about Roarton being a good place for you.”

Tony shrugs. “A place is what you make of it. Like when you come back, everyone’s already grieved for you. They’ve moved on so you have to make a place for yourself, in your own family, with your own friends.”

Jem looks at Tony. “Yeah but it’s not the same, like, I don’t think we could be the same family we were.”

“I think it’s better this way,” Tony says, tapping his feet on the ground. “It’s a great thing about the universe: it’s unpredictable. That's why it's so much fun.”

It’s an interesting way to look at it. “People died in the Rising too,” Jem argues, looking away from Tony. And after, she thinks. She feels like it makes her a bad person that she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way because she got Kieren back. She got her family back. “Not that I mean-“  

“I didn’t say it wasn’t fucked up,” Tony responds. “I have these flashbacks. Memories of things I did. People I killed,” Tony gestures to his head. “What I did in my untreated state was not my fault and I know that. But I have to live with it. On top of everything else I did when I was alive. I was such a dick,” Tony says with a little laugh. “This is time I never thought I’d have so- I’m going to choose to make something of it. Be there for my sister. Be there for my mum and my dad. That’s important.”

They sit there in silence as the countdown begins.

_“...Three…two…ONE!”_

“Happy New Year,” Jem says, raising the mostly empty bottle before placing it beside her leg.  

“Happy New Year, Jem.” Tony bumps her shoulder and grins. “Want to be my first kiss of the year?”

Jem rolls her eyes but she shrugs. “Why not?” As Tony approaches, she closes her eyes, feeling cool lips touch hers. It’s chaste. She giggles as he tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re not so bad, Tony.”

“You’re not bad either, Jem.” He gets up and holds out his hand. “Want to see how trashed everyone is?”

She laughs. “Okay.” Jem takes his hand and lets him pull her up.  

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Years fandom! To a Season 3 in 2015! Cheers :3


End file.
